Page 62 of Take Her On

Chapter Eighteen

Maya

Two weeks had passed since Maya’s argument with her mum, and neither of them had mentioned her date since. Maya took that as a win. Both eager to prove their point, whatever contest the two always seemed to be tangled in had intensified, and the house had never been cleaner or more organised. Grandpa was back home, recovering slowly, which helped divert their focus, but mostly the two of them had managed to avoid each other.

Now Mum was away for work again. Maya also had a mountain of other things on her mind.

Jamie cleared her throat, giving her best presenting voice. “What is the name of the condition that causes an exaggerated inward curve of the spine, typically in the lower back?”

“Lordosis.” Maya traced the intricate pattern of the tattoos on Jamie’s forearm, feeling the soft hairs rise in response. Their January exams loomed closer, and while they helped each other revise…among other things…Maya found it particularly challenging to quiz Jamie about English Literature. “Who’s…your favourite poet?”

“That’s…” Jamie shivered as Maya’s nails drew more patterns across her skin. “Far too difficult a question.” She adjusted herself so Maya’s naked body slid between her legs. “Sorry,” she said, chuckling softly. “Leg was going a little numb.”

“It’s fine.” Maya planted a kiss above her navel and stretched. She eyed Jamie’s stack of books on her bedside table. The collections of poetry by Lang Leav and Caitlyn Siehl, Sylvia Plath and Rupi Kaur. Maya wanted to leaf through them, like she’d find answers about Jamie between the pages. In truth, she’d struggled with English Literature at school; she didn’t really get it. Science, though—science made sense.

Maya was still learning about Jamie. Yes, she was annoying and loud and ate more Starburst sweets than a ten-year-old—but she was quiet in many ways, too. She secretly hoarded football cards and collectable fifty-pence pieces and forced Maya to always check her change, just in case. Jamie would light up when she was discussing anything about her course. The meaning was lost on Maya, but the way Jamie spoke about words made her want to understand. When Jamie wasn’t training for football, she loved nothing more than reading. Her softness drew Maya in; Jamie made her feel safe. Things were still difficult at home, but since she’d seen Carly and got some closure, it’d given her a push she didn’t know she needed.

“Have you applied for any jobs yet?” Jamie asked, pulling Maya out of her daze.

Millton University had a lot of connections with clubs and organisations for potential jobs after they graduated—assuming they passed their exams and got a 2:1. In her second year, Maya had had a temporary placement with the local men’s cricket team, shadowing a physio. The role with the women’s football team had been snatched up so quickly, and the sting of rejection lingered.

She sighed. She knew if she didn’t put herself out there, she’d never do anything at all, but she didn’t want to think about life after university yet. Time moved too fast. “Yeah. I know I shouldn’t put it off anymore. It’s just…a lot.”

Jamie brushed her fingers through Maya’s dark hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. “It’s normal to feel like that. I’m scared too. The pressure of failing…” Her thumb caressed Maya’s cheek. “But we can’t just sit and do nothing.”

“How about lie and do nothing?” she teased, stretching herself across Jamie’s navy bedsheets.

Jamie let out a soft laugh and dropped her hand. Her gaze followed the naked curve of Maya’s body before returning to her face. “You’ve nothing to worry about.”

That was easy to say. But how could she stop all the pressure mounting in her head? She had to get this right, to prove her mum wrong, to make her grandparents proud.

That seemed pretty big to her.

“Hey,” Jamie whispered, tilting her chin with her fingers so Maya was looking into her big blue eyes. “You’re gonna be fine. You’re Maya Thomas. She’s a badass.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Sometimes.”

“I think Rollchester would disagree, seeing as you completely marked their striker out of the game yesterday. She didn’t have a touch of the ball.”

Maya propped herself on her elbow. “And I guess this is the part where you want me to mention those terrific two goals you scored?”

A grin tugged at Jamie’s mouth, and she gave a playful shrug. “Getting compliments from the captain never hurts.”

“I wouldn’t want your head to get any bigger. You won’t be able to run soon, you’ll be so weighed down by your gigantic ego.”

Jamie chuckled, but Maya sensed a change in her, the way her mouth dropped. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“What is it?” she asked.

She sighed, tracing a finger lazily up her back. “I just keep thinking about the Harriers game.”

“It’s not for ages yet. We’ve got Christmas and the football tournament first.”

“I know.”

“Then what is it?”

Jamie chewed her lip, and Maya’s heart sped up in her chest. Was it an ex-lover on the team or just nerves? Jamie didn’t really speak about her time with the Harriers. Truthfully, Maya wasn’t sure she wanted to know about it; they were far past that point now. It felt like two different lives—the Jamie then and the Jamie now.